First Battlefield Commander! - Chapter 21
Chapter 21: Instructor
After scavenging bullets from him, Lian Sheng stopped joking with the instructor and went to regroup with Zhao Zhuoluo and the others.
The eight of them reunited.
Meng Jiangwu, hands on his thick waist, threw his head back and laughed: "I just scored three points! Three points! It happened in an instant!"
Lian Sheng gave him a sidelong glance. This guy must be going crazy.
Zheng Lei said enviously: "Granny Rong, did it feel good stabbing people just now?"
Meng Jiangwu tossed his head: "Damn right!"
Lian Sheng asked: "What about the bullets?"
Zhao Zhuoluo handed her the bullets he'd scavenged from another instructor.
Lian Sheng counted them—twenty-one rounds. This instructor must have just arrived on the mountain too. Combined with their previous haul, they now had nearly sixty bullets.
Watching her stuff bullets into various pockets until they bulged conspicuously, Lu Mingyuan asked: "What exactly are you planning to do with all these bullets?"
"For unforeseen circumstances," Lian Sheng said. "Always keep a backup plan ready in any situation."
Meng Jiangwu exclaimed in shock: "Suddenly... you've got curves."
Lian Sheng raised her gun: "Suddenly, you've lost your life."
Meng Jiangwu raised his hands and shook his head repeatedly, signaling that he knew he was wrong.
"But it really is impressive," Cheng Ze said, fiddling with his gun and loading a full magazine. "When we used to grind for points, we basically had to run all over the mountain, rarely getting any rest. From start to finish."
He had thought that stamina and self-management were part of the exercise's evaluation criteria.
...Maybe they were.
"So you see, with the right approach, combat can actually be quite relaxed. Not every foot soldier is cut out to be a mighty general, but that doesn't mean they can't take on ten enemies at once. The role of a commander is to ensure everyone finds their proper place, achieving the objective with minimal sacrifice and loss, isn't it?" Lian Sheng said. "If brute force alone decided victory, there wouldn't be so many legendary battles passed down through the ages."
Winning against the odds, overcoming strength with weakness—that was the allure of tactics.
The group nodded.
Previously, they hadn't understood why command students had to participate in this exercise. After all, in this era of highly advanced data transmission, commanders mostly operated from the rear. So this exercise seemed almost irrelevant to them.
The command department probably felt the same way, which was why they'd always shown little interest in the exercise.
This was the domain of combat specialists—everyone thought so.
It wasn't until they met Lu Mingyuan and Lian Sheng that they realized this wasn't the case.
Whether it was a small squad or a large unit, coordinating them properly was no easy task. Simply gathering together and watching each other's backs didn't count as proper coordination.
Thinking otherwise just meant... their skills weren't up to par.
Starting with a victory was lucky, and the mood was light. With their first successful collaboration under their belts, the group grew more confident. They moved on to set up an ambush at the next location.
In the distance, Fang Jianchen followed behind Ji Fangxiao, wandering aimlessly. Their large group was conspicuous, but precisely because of that, staying in the middle felt safe.
Fang Jianchen asked: "Where are we going now?"
Ji Fangxiao said: "To find Zhao Zhuoluo."
Fang Jianchen stopped and asked: "Why look for them? Still trying to recruit him? I think we should just drop it."
The group halted with him.
Ji Fangxiao turned and patiently explained: "There are only eighty instructors in this exercise, totaling two hundred forty points. The outcome is already determined, which means every point they take is one less opportunity for us. They're our biggest competitors—we can't just let them run wild."
Since they couldn't be allies, their relationship could only be one of life and death. That had been decided from the very beginning.
They'd let them go earlier because, under those circumstances, a direct confrontation would have caused heavy casualties—not worth it.
"Hmm..." Fang Jianchen thought for a moment and said, "Fine."
Might as well take them out and make them regret their choices.
Now that he thought about it, that sounded pretty fun.
Ji Fangxiao said calmly: "Actually, there's still a way to salvage this. We might have another chance to cooperate."
Fang Jianchen looked at him: "What do you mean?"
Ji Fangxiao said: "I don't know why Zhao Zhuoluo chose their team, but your squad should know—what they lack most right now is a sniper. If the sniper is gone, they'll naturally rejoin our team."
As for Lu Mingyuan and the other three, who had no combat ability, what use were they? They couldn't score points and would just drag the team down.
"You're so devious," Fang Jianchen said, slinging his gun over his shoulder and walking ahead with a sly grin. "But I agree."
Ambushing Lian Sheng sounded fun too. Finally, a chance for revenge.
After a few steps, Fang Jianchen turned back and asked: "How are you going to find them?"
There were no communicators here, no way to exchange information. Everyone wore helmets, and without checking their chest tags up close, you couldn't tell who was who. Trying to track someone down here seemed like a joke.
"Check which routes and directions have instructors eliminated, especially in suspicious locations. That's probably them," Ji Fangxiao said. "They're short on people, and judging by what Lian Sheng said earlier, they don't like getting into chaotic fights. Analyzing based on that should make it pretty obvious."
Fang Jianchen nodded.
Commanders really had to scheme with all their hearts. So exhausting.
Ji Fangxiao's theory was sound, but putting it into practice was slightly difficult because information here had a time lag.
To avoid instructor retaliation—no, to prevent eliminated instructors from leaking their location and setting up counter-snipes—Lian Sheng's group changed locations after every successful ambush. They also picked secluded spots and moved stealthily, making them hard to track. By the time Ji Fangxiao's team finally caught up with their pattern, three hours had passed.
When the two sides first crossed paths, the other team attacked without hesitation.
Lian Sheng sensed something was off and led her team to retreat before the enemy could fully assemble, hiding in a nearby grove.
Fortunately, they ran fast. The enemy only knew their general vicinity but hadn't pinpointed their exact location, so they were carefully combing the edges. Meanwhile, the group huddled behind cover, holding an emergency strategy meeting.
Cheng Ze said: "It must be Ji Fangxiao's team. They've got numbers, decent skill, and they're searching with purpose. No one else would bother."
Ye Buqing said, surprised: "They actually managed to track us down?"
Their tracking skills were impressive—had to give them credit for that.
Zhao Zhuoluo warned: "Watch out for their sniper. He's fast and accurate."
Meng Jiangwu: "Isn't he your buddy?"
"Yeah," Zhao Zhuoluo said. "So keep the good stuff in the family."
Meng Jiangwu: "..." That didn't seem like the right phrase.
Zheng Lei sighed: "Ah, if love fails, it turns to slaughter."
He tallied his points and added contentedly: "But I can die without regrets now."
Lian Sheng, crouching to the side with her head propped in her hands, stayed silent. Lu Mingyuan glanced at her and asked: "Can we break through?"
"Not much point. They've got numbers, and since they've chased us this far, they won't give up easily. There might be lookouts on the perimeter—we'll be exposed the moment we show ourselves," Cheng Ze said. "Even if we break through, they'll keep chasing us. Any small mishap would put us at a huge disadvantage. Either way, our options afterward would be limited."
The mountain was crawling with enemies. Unexpected trouble was guaranteed.
The group looked at Lian Sheng, waiting for her input.
Lian Sheng didn't seem worried. Her tone remained calm as she stood up and said: "Break through, then circle back for a counterattack."
Her words were clear, but they didn't understand.
"How do we counterattack?" Meng Jiangwu said. "They've got like twenty people, right?"
Lu Mingyuan: "Probably expanded their ranks too." With casualties and replacements, their numbers wouldn't be small.
Meng Jiangwu: "Then how's that any different from walking straight into their arms?"
"Of course it is," Lian Sheng said. "We can go out and find reinforcements, then counterattack together."
Ye Buqing frowned: "Hard to find. The enemy's strong and numerous. No one would pick us—too risky, too little gain."
"There is someone," Lian Sheng said coolly. "The instructors."
"..." The group exclaimed: "The instructors?!"
Asking their enemies for help—was she desperate or just confused? The instructors were their clearest adversaries.
Was there anything she wouldn't dare to try?
Lu Mingyuan looked up and quietly repeated her earlier words: "People, to escape the wolves behind them, often walk right into the tiger's jaws."
"As long as there's shared benefit, anyone can be persuaded. If it makes sense, why not cooperate?" Lian Sheng asked. "So, are you coming with me?"
She stood waiting for their response.
After exchanging glances, the group stood up.
At this stage, there were no better options. Might as well trust Lian Sheng and see this through.
The eight of them prepared to break out. Lu Mingyuan pointed them toward a direction with higher foot traffic, where they were more likely to encounter instructors.
They sprinted in that direction.
As expected, Ji Fangxiao's people were nearby.
Eight people moving together were too conspicuous. The lookout was stunned for a moment before shouting: "Found them! Over here! All eight!"
Zhao Zhuoluo, in the middle of the group, turned and fired two shots at the guy. Outnumbered, the student didn't dare engage and quickly ducked behind a tree.
The group dashed out of the woods unhindered.
Lu Mingyuan glanced back—the guy was keeping his distance but still following.
Lian Sheng led them across the path and up a slope, where they fanned out slightly to search for instructors.
Soon, Zhao Zhuoluo returned with a whistle and a raised hand: "Three."
Lian Sheng rushed over, ducked behind a random tree, and fired a careless shot.
The three instructors had already heard the commotion. They paused to listen when a bullet suddenly whizzed past. Scattering, they raised their guns toward her position.
"Wait! We're here to negotiate!" Lian Sheng shouted. "That shot wasn't meant to hit you—just to get your attention."
Instructor Fu hesitated, then asked cautiously: "Lian Sheng?"
Female students were rare in these exercises, and someone as nightmarish as Lian Sheng stood out. Recognizing her voice was child's play.
Lian Sheng recognized his voice too and stepped out from behind the tree, raising her hands: "What a coincidence. Fate."
Instructor Fu kept his gun trained on her and asked: "What did you just say?"
Lian Sheng swallowed and asked: "Instructor, do you believe in teacher-student camaraderie?"
"No," Instructor Fu said coldly. "This is the battlefield. Only camaraderie between comrades."
Lian Sheng: "Really?"
"..." Instructor Fu: "Goodbye."
"Wait!" Lian Sheng said quickly. "I have your bullets."
She pulled two from her pocket and tossed them over: "These are yours, right?"
Another instructor picked them up and stepped back: "So what?"
"Not much, just a few hundred rounds," Lian Sheng said. "Too many to carry. My teammates have some too."
The instructors: "..."
One of them muttered: "How many people has she killed? Let's just shoot her now to honor our fallen comrades."
"These bullets are useless to us, but they must be important to you," Lian Sheng said. "With enough ammo, you'd have more freedom to act. At least fewer worries, right?"
The instructors listened quietly, signaling her to continue.
"There are people chasing us, but I think they'd be more interested in you than in us," Lian Sheng paused. "They've got numbers and skill. Taking them out now would benefit you too."
Students turning on each other was nothing new to them, so this wasn't surprising.
Lian Sheng said: "Our needs align, and our interests don't conflict. We can cooperate temporarily. As a goodwill gesture, I'll give you a hundred bullets now. The rest after we're done."
Instructor Fu: "Say what?"
Lian Sheng: "I have bullets."
Instructor Fu: "I meant your goal. Say that again." Had he heard wrong earlier?
Lian Sheng: "Do you want them or not?"
Instructor Fu: "..."
He really wanted to shoot her right now.
Want to dive deeper into the story? You can request bonus chapters, unlock up to 10 advanced chapters as a Patreon member, or grab the complete Part 1 (147 chapters) as an EPUB from my Ko-fi shop!
She’s great🤣🤣
ReplyDelete